Recommendation 8: Consider clothing carefully

Some thought needs to be given to what the singers will wear to add to the atmosphere of the concert, unlike in an opera, where the costumes are usually determined by others.

Evening dress is appropriate for the majority of evening opera concerts. For women, there is a wide choice of dresses available. Much literature has been written on dressing for one’s body shape, and is not part of this research. However, the general principle would be to choose clothing which suited both the singer, the occasion and the characters portrayed.

If the concert’s programme contains music from one period, it may be appropriate to use historical costumes of the time. For example, it would help the audience to see performers in baroque dress for a concert of baroque opera. This would also avoid the issue of what to wear when playing gods and goddesses, as it would be the historical dress of the time.

There are some characters which are much harder to dress for in a concert, such as goddesses (the queen of the night), or nuns (Suor Angelica). For these, it is suggested that the singer looks at the overall programme and finds outfits that aid the overall emotional shape of the programme.